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A special educational project was launched this summer with the aim of familiarising teachers in Mongolia with STEM subjects. The aim is for the teachers to get their pupils interested in science subjects at an early age. The project focusses on nomadic children who receive their education in boarding schools, known as district and aimag schools, named after the country's administrative units. The Erasmus+ project is not TUBAF's first collaboration with Mongolia. It is part of a tradition of mutual support, a long-standing transfer of knowledge and the recruitment of professionals.

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Bolormaa Dendev und Kathrin Häußler sitzen auf einer Wiese
Meeting in the sea of grass of the Mongolian steppe: Bolormaa Dendev and Kathrin Häußler

Mongolian TUBAF alumni encourage the export of experience

In 2023, Kathrin Häußler received an enquiry from the Mongolian alumni association at TUBAF: Wouldn't the "Junior Researchers" project also be interesting for Mongolian children? "The Freiberg Alumni Association has existed since 2008," reports Bolormaa Dendev, founding member and head of the scientific liaison office of the Free State of Saxony in the Mongolian capital Ulaanbaatar since July 2024. She is involved in the project together with Professor Saran Galdansambuu and Kathrin Häußler. "The basic idea behind "Nomadenkinder" was to offer children in the countryside, especially nomadic children, the same educational opportunities as kids living in cities." Children in an urban environment have many opportunities for further education and training right on their doorstep. In contrast, there is a shortage of teachers in rural schools. During their first visits to Mongolian schools, the three realised that the teachers were just as interested as the children. So why not train these knowledge multipliers right away? "When the teachers then return to their schools, they pass on their knowledge to more than hundreds of children."

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Kleines Mädchen betrachtet ein Smartphone
Modernity and tradition: nomadic girls on smartphones

Videographer completes team

A film created by photographer and video journalist Andreas Hiekel from the university's media centre shows what these personal contacts look like. "This is work in progress," says Hiekel. In the summer of 2024, he accompanied his colleague Kathrin Häußler on her trip to Mongolia with his camera. The result is fascinating photos and film footage of a country in transition. Here the metropolis of Ulaanbaatar, in other pictures the camera flies over green seas of grass in the Mongolian steppe and forested hills. Then there is a girl rounding up yaks, holding her mobile phone in one hand. Andreas Hiekel also filmed in the Mongolian schools, where the children and young people experiment together with their teachers. The diverse experiences can be experienced in a first film, a trailer for a documentary that will be presented at the end of the project. The team is planning further reciprocal trips between Freiberg and Mongolia. The project will run until August 2026. It is another milestone in the cooperation between Freiberg and Mongolia.

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